PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Anton Källberg never forgets the hours in Arena Paris Sud. And who does that?
Feat, thrills, matchless drama. All three cover the sensational Swedish turn against Japan.
The Olympic final awaits on Friday.
– It is a fantastic evening that I will remember for the rest of my life, says Källberg.
The table tennis men ended up at a disadvantage with 0–2 in matches since Christian Karlsson and Anton Källberg lost the opening doubles and Truls Möregårdh lost the match against Tomokazu Harimoto.
It didn’t look dark, it was pitch black. The semi-final was moving quickly towards a bitter Swedish end.
Then came the pick-up that ended in a twist that not only goes to the content-rich and successful Swedish table tennis history, it also ranks among the great Swedish Olympic moments.
Back to the wall
With their backs against the wall, the trio of Karlsson, Möregårdh and Källberg did not give up. When everything came to a head, it hung on Källberg, in the tie at 2–2.
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He quickly dropped the first two sets against Tomokazu Harimoto. Another heavy loss for the 26-year-old who had problems when things heated up? Not this time. 5–11, 5–11 turned into 11–7, 11–7 and then 11–9 when Harimoto missed.
– What do I remember? I cut a forehand and then he misses a backhand. And then I turn around and all of a sudden Truls lift me up in the air and I feel like I don’t want to use my legs anymore.
The fact that it was he who had to decide meant extra.
– For the national team, I have not performed particularly well in teams. I have lost many important matches. Barely won anyone, it feels like. When I’ve had the chance, I haven’t taken it. So it feels great that it didn’t go that way today.
“Brought out wand”
The national team captain Jorgen Persson was still shaking slightly when he met the Swedish media after the feat.
– His performance is hard to beat after the first two sets – to then turn against Harimoto, who is seeded fourth, like that. I don’t know what he did but he took out a wand and started playing.
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He continues:
– In the last set, we depended on him to dare all the time.
Anton Källberg did. The reward for that courage is the chance to win an Olympic gold against either China or France on Friday.
READ MORE: The Swedish tokilskan after the tough Olympic loss against Denmark – now goes on the attack against great injustice: “Tired of shit”
In the paddock, he and the players celebrated wildly and the audience joined in the notes.
– I never got to experience an Olympic final as a player, but it’s fantastic to do it from the bench. Here I get to experience two Olympic finals. I could never dream of that when I came here, says Persson.
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